The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A perfect, glowing ending to a
stellar high school career veers off course when debate-team captain Higgs
Boson flunks girlfriend Roo’s easy question: If she needed a kidney, would he
give her one?

Yee turns her clever, insightful
humor on one wounded family: There’s the dentist dad, retired NASA scientist mom,
Higgs, named after “the God particle, the missing link, the answer to all the
questions of the universe”—and who could forget little sister Charlie? Well,
pretty much everyone; tragically dead older brother Jeffrey is still eerily
center stage despite Charlie’s straight-A grades and Higgs Boson’s acceptance
to Harvard, the path Jeffrey was supposed to tread. (Next step? Dental school.)
But while Higgs Boson may be the answer, he doesn’t have the
important-to-teens answer: “Roo’s kidneys are fine and I’m not into
hypotheticals” leads to an epic breakup, the loss of his best friend, troubles
at school and home, and a chance encounter with an intriguing homeless girl
wise enough to joke about his name. She forces the self-reflection and
introspection Higgs has avoided; now, instead of the iconic happy, hazy final
days of high school, he’s “buying cigarettes for a tattooed stranger” and
taking life-threatening risks. Yee captures the intensity of popularity
measured in yearbook pages and the strength of genuine teen melodrama; Mom’s
“Robe of Depression” and Higgs’ therapeutic garden add touching depth; ironic
twists save the finale from predictability.

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